Native American Lore

 

    In the long ago time, there was a Cherokee Clan call the

    Ani-Tsa-gu-hi (Ahnee-Jah-goo-hee), and in one family of

    this clan was a boy who used to leave home and be gone all

    day in the mountains. After a while he went oftener and

    stayed longer, until at last he would not eat in the house at

    all, but started off at daybreak and did not come back until

    night. His parents scolded, but that did no good, and the

    boy still went every day until they noticed that long brown

    hair was beginning to grow out all over his body. Then they

    wondered and asked him why it was that he wanted to be so

    much in the woods that he would not even eat at home. Said

    the boy, "I find plenty to eat there, and it is better than the

    corn and beans we have in the settlements, and pretty soon

    I am going into the woods to say all the time." His parents

    were worried and begged him not leave them, but he said,

    "It is better there than here, and you see I am beginning to

    be different already, so that I can not live here any longer.

    If you will come with me, there is plenty for all of us and

    you will never have to work for it; but if you want to come,

    you must first fast seven days."

 

    The father and mother talked it over and then told the

    headmen of the clan. They held a council about the matter

    and after everything had been said they decided: "Here we

    must work hard and have not always enough. There he says

    is always plenty without work. We will go with him." So

    they fasted seven days, and on the seventh morning al the

    Ani-Tsa-gu-hi left the settlement and started for the

    mountains as the boy led the way.

 

    When the people of the other towns heard of it they were

    very sorry and sent their headmen to persuade the Ani

    Tsaguhi to stay at home and not go into the woods to live.

    The messengers found them already on the way, and were

    surprised to notice that their bodies were beginning to be

    covered with hair like that of animals, because for seven

    days they had not taken human food and their nature was

    changing. The Ani Tsaguhi would not come back, but said,

    "We are going where there is always plenty to eat.

 

    "Hereafter we shall be called Yonv(a) (bears), and when you

    yourselves are hungry come into the woods and call us and

    we shall shall come to give you our own flesh. You need not

    be afraid to kill us, for we shall live always." Then they

    taught the messengers the songs with which to call them

    and bear hunters have these songs still. When they had

    finished the songs, the Ani Tsaguhi started on again and the

    messengers turned back to the settlements, but after going

    a little way they looked back and saw a drove of bears going

    into the woods.